Partition for a container



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p 13, 1955 P. WASYLUKA PARTITION FOR A CONTAINER Filed May 9 1951 United States Patent PARTITIDN FOR A CONTAINER Paul Wasyluka, St. Louis, Mo., assignor to Gaylord Container Corporation, St. Louis, Mo., a corporation of Maryland Application May 9, 1951, Serial No. 225,353

Claims. (Ci. 21731) Substantially all of the six bottle fiberboard carriers for beverages and similar articles are provided with partition members to divide the carrier into individual bottle compartments. Generally the partition members designed for six bottle use, for example, are of three-piece construction designed to be inserted intothe carrier. This means that assembly is either a time consuming hand operation or a complex machine operation. Most threepiece partitions also have the added disadvantage of not being rigid or self-aligning. That is, the transverse members of the partition are often loosely askew in relation to the longitudinal separating member, thus causing the cells formed thereby to be oblique and irregular and not readily adaptable for receiving machine loaded bottles Without manual adjustment. This obviously makes such a partition unsuitable for rapid machine loading which requires that the compartments formed by the partitions be rectangular in shape and aligned directly below the bottles loaded.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a rigid cellular partition structure which may be shippedin a knocked down condition and the component parts thereof readily set up by the user, and when such parts are set up, they are positioned with regard to each other and cooperate in a novel manner whereby these parts are prevented from becoming disassociated from each other and the entire cellular structure thereby being locked together as a substantially rigid unit, yet the said parts may be disassociated from each other if it should be desired to collapse or knock down the same.

Another object of the invention is to provide a novel rigid cellular partition structure consisting of a minimum number of very simple component parts and yet when these parts are connected and associated together in a novel manner, there results a cellular structure that can be handled as a unit for insertion in or removal from a container.

Another object of the invention is to provide U-shaped members and substantially fiat members which are so associated together when set up that accidental disassociation of the same is prevented and a very rigid and durable cellular structure for containers is thus provided.

Another object of the invention is to provide substantially U-shaped members and flat members and these members having various slots therein which cooperate to prevent outward movement of the flat member relative to the U-shaped member and a novel form and shape of slot in the base of the U-shaped member which prevents inward disassociation of the flat member therefrom, yet permitting the said members as individual component parts to be assembled or the said component parts partially assembled in a collapsed condition for shipment to the user and to be erected or set up into final condition whereby the rigid cellular partition structure results and one wherein the component parts will not unintentionally become disassociated from each other and can be handled as a unit for insertion in or removal from a container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a novel "ice two-piece cellular partition providing six compartments when inserted in a suitable container.

Another object of this invention is to provide a cellular partition which automatically locks in rigid right angular alignment when set up, but which may be readily collapsed to a fiat position if so desired.

A further object of this invention is to provide a collapsible partition which may be erected automatically with one hand from a partially preassembled, collapsed position.

These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.

This invention provides a two-piece partition having a transverse member with a slot therein in the bottom panel and a longitudinal member. This invention also provides a two-piece partition for a container, said partition comprising a transverse member having upright side panels with slots in the lower portions thereof and a bottom panel positioned therebetween, said bottom panel being provided with a locking slot therein having its ends opening into said upright slots, said locking slot departing from a straight line extending from upright slot to upright slot and a longitudinal panel having slots in the upper portion thereof cooperating with said upper portion of said upright panels in said transverse member. The inventionalso consists in the method of assembling said partition.

The invention also consists in the parts and in the arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and' claimed. In the accompanying drawings which form part of this specification and wherein like numerals and symbols refer to like parts wherever they occur:

Fig. 1' is a plan view of a blank forming the transverse member,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the longitudinal separating member,

Figs. 3 to 6, inclusive, are plan views of the two members in various stages of assembly,

Figs. 7 to 11, inclusive, are perspective views of various stages of assembly of the longitudinal and transverse. members as said members are sprung into final assembly with one hand, and

Fig. 12 is a top plan view of the assembled partition. Referring now to Fig. 1 it is seen that the member A in the embodiment of the invention illustrated is provided with a bottom panel or base 1 defined in part by scoresl. Upstanding panels walls 3 are defined on their lower edges by the scores 2. The bottom panel 1 is traversed by a slot 4. The lower portions of vertical panels 3 are provided with slots 5. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the ends of the slot 4 substantially bisect. the scored edges of bottom panel 1 and are continued as at 5 into the side walls 3.

The slot 4 has ends opening into the slots 5, and said slot 4 departs from a straight line extending from slot 5 to slot 5, thereby dividing the bottom panel into portions 1a and 1b and providing a seat 6 in the bottom panel 1. The seat 6 provides a base or seat between said slots 5 for a substantially fiat panel or member B, hereinafter described, thereby locking said panel or member B at right angles to said upstanding panels or walls 3. The width of the slot 4 is at least equal to the thickness of the material used in the substantially fiat member B.

Fig. 2 illustrates said substantially flat member B with slots 7 in the upper portion thereof adapted to receive the upper portions of the vertical panels or walls 3 of the other partition member A. Corners 8 of the slots 7 are rounded to facilitate easy assembly of the components. The panel or flat member B is thereby divided U into three tongues 9, 1t) and 11. The center tongue 10 has an upper edge 12 thereon.

in one method of assembling this partition, the vertical panels or walls 3 are folded upwardly along the scores 2 at right angles to the bottom panel or base 1. With the panels or walls 3 held in this position, their end edges are placed on a table or other fiat surface so the bottom panel 1 or base is parallel to the supporting surface. The fiat member B is inserted into the transverse member A by forcing the edge 12 of the tongue 10 through the slot 4 and forcing the fiat member B downwardly. By so doing, the slots 7 of the fiat member B engage the unslotted portions of the walls 3 which are in alignment with the slots 5 of the member A and the slots 5 of the transverse member A engage the unslotted portion of the member B. When the edge 12 of the separating strip is even with the edges of the vertical panels 3 and contacts the supporting surface, the assembled partition may be inverted and placed in a container for use. Obviously with this method of assembly, it is necessary to bend the tongue 11 slightly so that it can he slipped into the slot 4.

In another method of assembling, the member A is folded along one of the scores 2 so that one of the partition panels 3 lies under the bottom panel 1 as shown in Fig. 3. The center tongue of the member B is placed in fiatwise relation to portion 1a of bottom panel 1 so that the end edge 12 is adjacent to the slot 4. The edge 12 of the member B is inserted through the slot 4, as shown in Fig. 5, until the center tongue 10 thereof is in flatwise relation to the underface of the bottom portion 112 and until the bottoms of the slots 7 abut against the sides of the slots in the member A, as shown in Fig. 6. The tongue 9 of the member B is sprung backwards with the fingers. The member B is then moved downwardly in the slots 5, as shown in Fig. 7, so that the tongue 9 is behind the panel 3, the tongue 11) is between said panel 3 and the bottom panel 1, and the tongue 11 lies over the other panel 3.

The fiat partially assembled partition is grasped by piacing the thumb at the outer end of the unfolded score 2 and the middle finger of the same hand at a position opposite and in line with this score on the outer edge of the member B. As the thumb and middle finger are squeezed together the partition will automatically snap into locked position and be ready for use. Figs. 7 through 10 show the partition in progressive partially assembled positions, and Figs. 11 and 12 show the completely assembled partition.

it is to be understood that the embodiments herein described are illustrative and not restrictive, and it is also to be understood that the invention may be susceptible of embodiment in other modified forms, and that all such modifications which are similar or equivalent hereto come equally within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. A rigid cellular partition structure for containers comprising a substantially U-shaped member having a 6. base and upstanding parallel spaced walls, the base having a transverse slot laterally displaced from a straight line therein and continuing into each side wall to closed ends and terminating below the upper edges of the same, a substantially fiat member disposed at right angles to the side walls of the U-shaped member, the fiat member having spaced slots extending from its upper edge and terminating in closed ends inwardly of its lower edge thus defining an upper central slotted portion opposite substantially aiigned solid portions continuing from the slots of the walls of the U-shaped member and flat member straddled by the slotted portions of each other, the closed ends of the slots in the said walls preventing outward disassociation of the flat member from the U-shaped member, the central slotted portion with a complemental downwardly extending portion constituting a central panel having a bottom edge, the panel being substantially equal in width to the width of the base, and the lower edge of the panel lying within the U-shaped member and extending over a portion of the base adjacent the slot thereby locking it in place and preventing inward disassociation thereof from the U-shaped member so that the two members are maintained in permanent non-collapsible rightangularly disposed relationship with each other.

2. The rigid cellular partition structure as defined in and by claim 1 wherein the height of the spaced walls of the U-shaped member and the height of the flat member that is disposed right-singularly with respect to the walls of the U-shaped member are substantially the same.

3. The rigid cellular partition structure as defined in and by claim 1 wherein the transverse slot in the base of the U-shaped member is arcuate and the ends of the same continue into the slots in the opposite side walls of the U-shaped member.

4. The rigid cellular partition structure as defined in and by claim 1 wherein the slots in the opposed walls of the U-shaped member and the slots in the flat member are substantially of the same length.

5. The rigid cellular partition structure as defined in and by claim 4 wherein the transverse slot in the base of the U-shaped member is curved.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 158,824 Barnett Jan. 19, 1875 1,656,644 Meisekothen Ian. 17, 1928 1,461,099 Sandor July 10, 1932 2,092,148 Berglund Sept. 7, 1937 2,261,625 Jones Nov. 4, 1941 2,355,461 Nichols Aug. 8, 1944 2,473,766 Richey June 21, 1949 2,535,289 Hopp Dec. 26, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 110,117 Great Britain Oct. 11, 1917 

